When R.E.M. announced last month that it was disbanding, most journalists who wrote in-depth pieces on the band noted the huge influence that R.E.M.'s sound had on other rock groups of the '80s. Take Miracle Legion, for example. Listen to "Mr. Mingo," from the Connecticut-based group's 1987 album "Surprise Surprise Surprise," and you'll hear the R.E.M. influence loud and clear -- the murky textures, the mysterious lyrics, the folky guitar riffs, the deftly interlocking vocal-melody lines.

And yet, the song has a charm and a power of its own that pushes it past the realm of mere imitation. It was nice to see Miracle Legion frontman Mark Mulcahy (who became a solo artist after the band's demise) get a tribute album of his own ("Ciao My Shining Star") in 2009, even though the cause was sad (it was a benefit for Mulcahy himself, who was raising twin daughters on his own after the death of his wife). And it nice to see that Michael Stipe of R.E.M. contributed (as did Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Dinosaur Jr., Frank Black and many others).

Anyway, here's my favorite Mircle Legion song, "Mr. Mingo":

And here's Laura Veirs' cover, available in the deluxe edition of "Ciao My Shining Star."

Songs of the Day are posted Mon.-Thu. at 3 p.m. Song of the Week, which will focus on contemporary chart hits, will be posted on Friday. For past Songs of the Day, click here